Too Much Good
by nine miles to go
Summary: By changing the timeline, Piper won't die on Chris' 14th birthday. But to keep cosmic balance, someone had to take her place...and the someone they want is Chris. One-shot to "Hear You Me." SAAAAAAAAAD!


Okay...very, very sad fic. Starts out happy, but don't be fooled. One-shot song fic to "Hear You Me" by Jimmy Eat World. Major sadness...WAHH! I cried and I was the one who BROUGHT this horror into the world!

It's like the Lemony Snicket books...I do warn you not to read this...lol.

Disclaimer: Is Brad Kern married? Cuz maybe she'll accept my bribes...either that, or I could hold her hostage in exchange for total ownership of Charmed...lol. I wish. I don't own Charmed, peoples...lol, I'm hoping most of you knew that. But someday, when I rule the world, maybe things will change...

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* * *

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**Too Much Good **

_There's no one in town I know  
You gave us some place to go.  
I never said thank you for that.  
I thought I might get one more chance._

Chris

Chris grinned. Today was his fourteenth birthday, and as he looked out at the snowy (I like winter, lol, so his birthday's in winter! And I know it doesn't snow in San Francisco, I'm not that much of an idiot...but still, with the ozone layer widening, you never know!! Anyways, in this fic, it snows in Cali. Deal with it! lol) day that greeted him, he was sure it would be a good one. With a final stretch and yawn, he wearily rose out of bed.

He hadn't slept much last night. He kept having dreams that nobody else seemed to relate to. Did anyone else in his family recall a twisted timeline where Wyatt was evil and his family was dead? At first, since the dreams were so real, he honestly didn't know what was real and what wasn't. And then, slowly, every memory from this other timeline leaked its way slowly into his head...and he remembered everything.

But today, that didn't matter. Today was a day to have fun with his brother and little cousin Prue, today was the day to go outiside and have snowball fights with his friends, and today was the day that they'd all celebrate at the table.

He gulped. In the other timeline, nothing like this ever happened. Yet another reason to be grateful.

"Happy birthday, Chris," Wyatt greeted from the hallway. "So...do you feel more mature?"

"Define 'mature'," Chris mumbled sleepily.

Wyatt sighed in mock-exasperation. "Too bad. Either way, I'm still older than you are..." he taunted, running down the stairs. "Hey, Chris, Mom made pancakes. Hurry up or I'll eat them all!"

Chris grinned, knowing that his brother was only joking.

* * *

Victor 

Victor didn't sleep at all. He stared out the window the entire night, wondering. It had been fourteen and a half long years since his adult grandson had told him about Piper's early death. Was it still meant to be? Would Piper die sometime this year?

He felt burdened and guilty, being the only person knowing that Piper's life might be at stake in the near future. How would she die? Could they prevent it? Maybe...

He looked at the clock and with a tired sigh, he grabbed his down coat and headed out into the winter. If he just hoped hard enough, it would be fine. There was no reason to be scared for Piper's life, for the poor family she might leave behind.

The lingering thought of the older Chris dying so painfully shot through his mind for the millionth time since the boy's death. No, he wouldn't have died for nothing. Fate owed them that.

_What would you think of me now,  
So lucky, so strong, so proud?  
I never said thank you for that,  
Now I'll never have a chance._

Chris

He was jumping down the stairs when it happened. His hand clutched the railing as he felt himself jerked from reality into the world he feared so much. _It's okay, _he assured himself, _it's just for a moment..._

In the scene he now saw through his premonition, he was walking down these very stairs. It was his fourteenth birthday and he was forcing his happiness. Who could be happy with an evil tyrant for a brother and a broken family? All he had was Piper. So he'd be happy for her, since she was trying so hard to make today special despite the current situation at hand.

As he walked, though, he heard a shriek sound from the foyer. He sprinted down the stairs, knowing it would take too long to orb. Down at the bottom...

Down at the bottom...

A sharp cry escaped him. Down at the bottom, Piper was strewn across the floor, a gaping hold in her stomach. She wore a shocked expression on her face, now lifeless and pale. He didn't have to look twice to know she was dead.

The scene ended and he realized he was at the bottom of the stairs and his shoulder hurt. "Ow," he moaned, realizing he must have lost his balance and tumbled down.

Wyatt, Piper, and Paige rushed into the foyer. "What happened?" gasped Piper, helping him up. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine," he assured her, forcing a laugh. "I'm such a klutz!"

Wyatt's worried gaze faded and he grinned at his brother, ruffling his hair. "Chris got the bad end of the gene pool," he said. "Hey, you're bleeding..." Wyatt noticed.

The door clicked open and Victor walked in.

* * *

Victor

When he opened the door, he stood rooted to the spot for a moment, trying to interpret the scene before him. Chris had a gash on his forehead and two of his daughters and Wyatt were hovering next to him.

"D-demon attack?" he stammered. That could've been THE attack! They were probably lucky to be alive--

"No, Chris just fell down the stairs," Phoebe explained. "Wyatt, you think you can get that for him?"

Wyatt nodded and began to heal. Victor felt himself grinning a bit; he thought it would be disturbing to have grandchildren with super natural powers, but he was actually getting used to it. Wyatt had just performed magic, and he didn't even flinch.

No, the flinch came when he thought of what the year may have in store for them.

"You sure you're all right?" asked Piper. "That was quite a fall."

"I'm fine. Hey, grandpa!" Chris exclaimed. "Thanks for coming!"

Victor laughed. "Of course I came. Why wouldn't I? It's not every day that my grandson turns fourteen!" He suddenly noticed how pale Chris seemed to be. "Did something just happen?" he asked sternly. "You know you can tell me if something...you know. Happened."

"No, everything's fine!" Chris said cheerily, walking into the kitchen.

But Victor knew that Chris was lying. He could see it in the boy's eyes...someone else knew the secret he'd kept so long.

_May angels lead you in.  
Hear you me my friends.  
On sleepless roads the sleepless go.  
May angels lead you in._

Chris

Walking into the kitchen, he realized that the pancakes didn't smell so wonderful anymore. He didn't feel hungry and he didn't feel like celebrating. He desperately wished he could confide in somebody...but then they'd think he was crazy. No one even knew of his knowledge of this past life, let alone the fact that he had premonitions.

But none of the premonitions were useful like Phoebe's. They only brought pain. And that wasn't a very good thing to infect his family with. Besides...they were all so happy.

Anyways, the past was the past. Piper was alive and well. She wasn't dead! It was absurd, even thinking about it. How could anything bad happen?

"Chris, you haven't touched your plate. I made you're favorite. Aren't you hungry?" asked Piper, concerned.

"Um, just too excited, I guess!" Chris lied. He stuck a huge forkful of pancake into his mouth, but now it just tasted like coarse, bitter sand crunching in his mouth and a huge lump in his stomach. "Mmmmm, good. Thanks, Mom." He walked up and hugged her.

"Um, you're welcome," Piper replied, surprised.

"I'm going to head down to the rink," said Chris, eager to get away. "Coming, Wy?"

"Yeah, give me a second. I actually intend to finish eating, thank you very much." Wyat scarfed the rest of the meal. "Ee gogga ait or Pwue," he reminded his brother, mouth stuffed.

"Wyatt, that's gross," Paige commented. "Happy birthday, kid," said Paige, kissing him on the cheek. In an instant, Phoebe and Piper and Paige were all over him, giving the annual embarassing hug-till-the-victim-can't-breathe fest.

"Happy birthday!" they chanted in unison.

Prue walked in, smirking. Thirteen years old and a year younger than Chris, she was Phoebe's and Cole's daughter that actually somewhat resembled her late Aunt Prue herself. "Gee, Chris. You've only been awake--what, fifteen minutes?--and they've already managed to attack!"

"Ha ha," he said sarcastically. "We're going now. C'mon, Wyatt'll orb you. We're meeting Zach and Jenny."

"Zach?" Prue's face lit up. "Let me get my coat!"

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Teenagers," she muttered.

"You don't know the half of it!" Piper warned.

Soon everyone was ready to leave and Wyatt, Chris and Prue orbed to the park, where a frozen pond gleamed before them. It was secluded in the deeper part of the park's trees, so not many people knew about it. Occasionally there'd be a pair of lovers or a family of kids skating, too, but most of the time it was just the Halliwells and their friends.

Zach and Jenny were already waiting. Prue immediately rushed up and started babbling to Zach, who shrugged at Chris and smiled good-naturedly at her, nodding his head absently at whatever she said.

"Poor kid," Wyatt laughed, shaking his head.

_So what would you think of me now,  
So lucky, so strong, so proud?  
I never said thank you for that,  
Now I'll never have a chance._

"Hey, Chris," said Jenny shyly. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks," he responded. In his opinion, her smile was enough to make the entire park bloom and ice melt. They'd known each other practically forever. She had short-cropped strawberry blonde hair, freckles that brightened even during the coldest months of winter, and a laugh so genuine that he knew there wasn't any like it in the entire world.

"I see your cousin's got Zach on a leash," she pointed out, grinning.

Chris tore his gaze away from her face to see Prue still chattering away, and he laughed as well. "Yeah, and she's got him tied up pretty tight, huh? This is _funny_. We ought to get this on camera one day so we can blackmail her with it later!" he joked

Jenny laughed, pulling him over to the ice. "C'mon, let's skate!" she squealed. "Race you to the other side!"

"You're on," he challenged, sprinting up ahead. He felt so smooth, gliding along the ice. Forget the premonitions. It was all good here.

When he got to the other end, he put his hands on his knees, panting. "Hey, Jen--" he called, looking up. Hey--where was Jenny? For an unbearable ten seconds of panic, he whipped in all directions, looking for her. "Jenny? Hey, where are you? Jenny?"

He heard her giggle and before he could turn, he could feel the cold snow trickling down his neck and into his jacket. "Yikes!" he yelped, slipping off onto the ice. He laughed, brushing the snow off himself. "I'll get you, Jenny!" he cried, chasing after her.

She squealed from the tree she was hiding from, giggling. "Catch me if you can!"

Looking down, he realized she wasn't even wearing her skates! She had tricked him straight into a snowball fight. His grin widened as he attempted to chase after her, heavy skates clunking in the snow as she hopped around in her boots.

Eventually he caught up to her, and in no time Wyatt and Prue and Zach were in on it, too. Girls versus boys, they fought out the battle for a good two hours, forgetting all their troubles and only focusing on the fun. By now the premonition had completely slipped Chris' mind, and all he could think about was how beautiful Jenny looked surrounded by all of this sparkling snow.

_May angels lead you in.  
Hear you me my friends.  
On sleepless roads the sleepless go.  
May angels lead you in.  
May angels lead you in.  
May angels lead you in_.

"Hey guys, I'm going to go in through the woods to get some hot cocoa at the food stand out there. Any requests?" asked Chris.

"Hot cocoa!" everyone chimed gratefully.

"Wait--I'm coming too!" Jenny called after him.

They walked together in the forest, holding hands and silently breathing in the day. "So...how's yor birthday so far?" asked Jenny, blue eyes sparkling.

"I'd say it's been pretty awesome," he said, leaning in closer to her. "I feel so powerful, being a whole year older," he joked.

"Oh, really?" she asked slyly. The two of them seemed to huddle even closer, if possible, until the puffs of fog that came with their breaths joined together as one big cloud in front of them. "Wanna make it better?"

"You know I do," he replied. And then they kissed, right there in the middle of the forest with no one around.

Or so they thought.

Chris was so unsuspecting when the sharp pain stabbed through his gut and he collapsed into the snow. The blade had ripped through him from behind. Jenny was shrieking.

"Oh, no! CHRIS! WYATT, ORB OVER HERE! MR. HALLIWELL! SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP!" she screamed, piercing the foggy air. "HELP!"

_I couldn't take your mother's life...so I had to take yours. For the cosmic balance. Do not resist. You cannot escape the Angel of Death. _

Chris struggled and gasped for air, numbed by the pain and the frozen snow. His eyes glazed over, the bright green wilting to gray. He knew that he had to die; if he didn't, Piper would, and the world couldn't afford it. So silently, he prayed that Wyatt and Leo wouldn't find him until he was way on his way to the other side.

"Jenny..." he whispered hoarsely. She paused in her screams, crouching down and caressing his face.

"Hold on, Chris. Please hold on. They're coming. I know they're coming. Don't..." she sobbed.

"I'm--I'm sorry, Jenny," he choked, gasping and coughing for air. "I...I love you."

"I love you, too."

That was the last thing he heard before she faded and his eyes slipped closed for the very last time.

_And if you were with me tonight,  
I'd sing to you just one more time.  
A song for a heart so big,  
God wouldn't let it live._

Victor

They were all dressed in black and sobbing at the grave before them, but Victor knew that no one was more sorry than he was. His grandson, the one he'd sworn to protect since the fourteen and a half years ago they'd met, was dead. He'd failed him.

It was unbearable trying to explain to Piper the reason for her son's sudden passing. How could he be expected to explain to his daughter that her son had to die so she could go on living? How could he possibly ever expect her to accept it and move on? All this time he'd worried so much about Piper dying...but in the end, it was Chris they lost. Chris, with a heart so innocent and pure. Chris, who had never done wrong. Chris, who would give up anything to help another...even his life.

And the poor girl in front of him, Jenny. He'd died in her arms as she called in vain. Wyatt, who'd taken care of his little brother for so long. His friend, Zach, and his cousin, Prue, who both were sobbing in each other's arms. His mother and aunts and uncles...and poor Leo, who now blamed himself for Chris' death a second time over.

They were all broken without him. Chris had been the one that kept the family stabilized and glued together. Why did this have to happen? Why to him, of all people?

_May angels lead you in.  
Hear you me my friends.  
On sleepless roads the sleepless go.  
May angels lead you in.  
May angels lead you in.  
Hear you me my friends.  
On sleepless roads the sleepless go.  
May angels lead you in.  
May angels lead you in._

Victor turned his back after the ceremony, unable to hold back his tears any longer. He went to comfort his daughter, assuring himself that wherever Chris was, he was happy and he was safe.

Maybe Chris had already done too much good. That's why he'd died. He'd done too much good to live...

Victor shuddered. After all this time...it was over. And Chris was the one who ended up paying the price.

* * *

You all probably hate me now, huh? Well, too bad! Lol. This is a one-shot. NO NEW CHAPPIES. CHRIS IS DEAD! MWAHAHAHA! Lol.

Pink-Charmed-One


End file.
